Petro vs Trump: The diplomatic standoff that could shape Colombia’s future

The spat with Trump comes as Petro enters the final full year of his presidency.

Petro is Colombia’s first left-wing president and a former rebel fighter who once fought in the country’s ongoing, six-decade-long internal conflict.

While Petro himself cannot run for re-election due to term limits, his political influence will be critical in shaping the 2026 race.

Petro is well known for his combative approach on social media. In 2024, for instance, he got embroiled in an online dispute with Israeli officials that culminated in the two countries severing ties.

But last week’s confrontation with Trump came as a shock to those in his inner circle, who had reportedly not been warned of the president’s decision to block the flights.

Allies and opponents alike feared his impulsive decision may send Colombia’s economy into disarray. It even contributed to political fractures.

On January 28, two days after Petro’s kerfuffle with Trump, the centre-left Colombian Liberal Party pulled out of the coalition government, citing the diplomatic row with the US as one of its reasons.

That split is likely to further deteriorate Petro’s ability to pass legislation in Colombia’s Congress.

"Everyone thought that the tragedy of Petro would be that he'd be a radical and scare away all the foreign investment, and there has been some capital flight," said Will Freeman, a fellow for Latin America studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, a think tank.

"But the tragedy of Petro is that he’s been an extremely weak president. He really hasn’t been able to get things done."

Petro’s approval rating has remained somewhat constant throughout his term, oscillating around the 30 percent mark — a marked dip from the 56 percent support he enjoyed when he first took office.

Yet, he still enjoys a "hard floor of support, and this is not changing that", Freeman added.

Nevertheless, Guzmán warned the spontaneous face-off between Trump and Petro points to a lack of direction in the latter’s government.

"Colombia is rudderless in terms of its foreign policy, and that's going to create problems down the line," Guzmán said.